Bonnie Sveen Fan: Thank you for your review. I knew Jan would struggle with telling Dixie the sad news but I knew that hearing it through a friend was better than hearing it through other sources. As for Connie protecting Grace, after explaining to some friends, they have admitted that they would do exactly the same as while it was wrong, Grace did feel guilty about it.


Chapter 14

The roads seemed quiet. Throughout the journey, Grace had only seen three cars and a bus driving past her. It wasn't much of a surprise as it was a Sunday after all, which made Grace realise that most normal people would be at home with their families. Her mother was working today, but it gave Grace the opportunity to go shopping into town. It felt incredible to know that she wouldn't have to worry about the timetables.

Plus, she was surprised to find the car park nearly empty on a Sunday afternoon.

Throughout the journey back home however, Grace sighed when she heard her phone. Deep down, she knew who was messaging her. She was the only one who knew where she was going.

There was no car in her sight, and she couldn't see a clearing at all. It would only be a few seconds to check her phone.

Picking it up from the passenger seat, Grace looked at the message from her mother.

What time would you be back?

It would be risky to message back now while she was driving. But Grace knew that her mother would worry about her completely if she doesn't message back straight away.

There wasn't a single car in sight, as there was no sign of a clearing. It was just a straight road. Plus, Grace knew she will only do this once. Once.

She won't do it again.

Grace quickly dialled the message in her text, not wanting to waste anymore time that she should have been using to focus on the road.

I Should Be Back Home By 17:30.

She suddenly looked up. The car suddenly stopped. Grace noticed that the colon on her clock on the car had stopped flashing. Looking at the window, Grace noticed that the car had stopped moving, the trees on both sides of the road had stopped swaying. Even though it had been windy all day, the branches would have still swayed.

She suddenly looked up. A clearing was in plain sight now, there were only two ways she could have gone now.

Left.

Right.

And she suddenly saw the front of a silver car, driving in the front lane. If she had turned left, like she was intending to, she would have been following the passengers of the car.

That same car also came to a sudden stop.

What was going on?

Grace cautiously got out of her car, finding, to her confusion, that she wasn't feeling the sudden wind that she was having trouble dealing with. Her phone still clutching in her hand, she realised that she hadn't sent the text message yet. Closing the door behind her, she tried to look around, noticing the one of the squirrels had suddenly stopped moving, just climbing up the tree. Why hasn't the squirrel fallen off the tree?

Suddenly hearing three doors opening before slamming each one of them shut, Grace walked closer to the silver car. Turning to face the car, she saw them.

Ethan Hardy.

Iain Dean.

Lily Chao.

"Grace," Iain asked her, "Did you know you're approaching the clearing?"

"No," Grace honestly answered, "No I didn't."

"Are you not paying attention?" Ethan asked her, before noticing what was in her hand, "Are you texting?"

"I was just checking in with my mum," Grace explained, looking at her phone, "I was letting her know what time I was heading home."

Looking up at the three, she suddenly saw the three looking at each other, worried. What did they have to worry about? Grace was nowhere near their car, there was still a space between them for her to stop.

"It's okay," Lily turned to face her, "There's enough time to stop the car. Just pay attention."

Grace looked panicked.

"I haven't even sent my text yet," Grace exclaimed, "My mum would worry if I don't message back. I can't look up."

"Grace," Ethan pleaded with her, "There are three of us in that car. Iain and Lily will die if you don't look up."

"Please Grace," Lily pleaded with her.

"You have to pay attention," Iain called out.

Grace couldn't believe what they were trying to tell her. The text, it would only have taken a minute for her to message her mother back. If she doesn't message back, she would worry her mother.

"It was only meant to be a quick text," Grace sobbed to them, "I'm so sorry."

Grace was about to turn to face the car, when she suddenly opened her door to get back into her vehicle. Placing her seatbelt on, she suddenly looked at her phone. And then suddenly she felt the movement again.

Pressing send, her head was pushed back the moment the airbag inflated.


Grace suddenly woke up, panting and sweating. She had nightmares like that one for the past few evenings, but this one was without a doubt the worst one yet. But she wasn't sure if it was down to knowing exactly who it was, she killed, or how terrified everyone was at the scene.

"Grace?" she looked up to see her mother enter the room, "Are you okay?"

Grace watched as her mother sat next to her on her bed, stroking her dampened hair, glued to her face. Connie pulled her daughter into her arms, realising what has just happened. No words were said to her daughter. What could she have said to make everything better? Grace now knew exactly who her victims were.

Looking at the doorway, she noticed Iain and Lily standing by the frame. Looking at Iain, Connie noticed that his arms were folded, his face was blank. It was as if no emotions were shown. Connie wasn't sure if he was still hurt by her actions or if he had completely given up. Turning to Lily, Connie tried to appeal to Lily's mothering side. After all, at the time of her death, Lily was pregnant.

"Don't you dare," Lily whispered viciously at her, "Thanks to you, I'm never going to have the opportunity to hold my child."

Connie looked away from the frame, she could tell how disappointed the two of them were with Grace. But she didn't care about them at all. What happened to them, it's over now.

What's important now is looking after the pieces that are still around.

"This one's the worst," Grace admitted to her mother, "There was plenty of time for me to put the phone down and turn left. Why didn't I just put that stupid phone down?"

"Grace," Connie whispered, "Please don't think about it! What's done is done."

"Not to Lily and Iain," Grace reminded her, "I may not have suffered too much, but they lost their lives."

Connie tried to argue with her. Deep down, she knew Grace had done what many teenagers have admitted having done. While some got away with it without any repercussions, others often had dealt with the consequences, whether it was a caution or a fine or even losing their licenses altogether.

However, the one-time Grace did that, the results were massive. How long would it be before Ethan would recover from the physical and emotional scars from the accident? How long would it be before Mrs Chao realises that the accident wasn't Iain's fault and would relent to having her daughter be with him? How long would it be before everyone would recover from their loss?

"Grace," Connie whispered, "It was an accident."

"Yeah," Grace muttered, "One that could have been avoided. There was a good distance for me to stop that car!"

"She's got that right," Connie heard Iain scoff.

Knowing that Grace wasn't looking at her, Connie turned to Iain and Lily. Why would they torment Grace? Surely, this would have been enough to get them to back off and leave the two of them alone. They're serving a life sentence now, knowing how the crash had occurred and how it could had easily been avoided.

The worst part was knowing that they won't be able to tell anyone about what happened.

Otherwise, their secret would be out.

And everything would fall apart for them.

Connie had already witnessed one family be ripped apart.

There's no way she could risk another family be torn to pieces.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Connie asked her.

Grace shook her head. If the truth ever comes out, then her mother wouldn't be there to hold her hand. Grace knew how much her mother was sacrificing to keep her secret safe, knowing just what she would lose when the secret was out.

Grace knew there was no ifs. It would only be a matter of time before something or someone would reveal what she had done. How long did her mother really think they could have kept something this huge secret? How long did her mother think that the families of the people she killed would be able to move on with their loss? How long would the people she killed would have lived for had she not been so reckless?

"No," Grace whispered, "I'll be fine."

"Grace you need sleep for tomorrow," Connie insisted, "This will only break your spirit. Plus, you need to get your case ready for the principle."

"If she expels me," Grace sighed, looking down, "It wouldn't be the worst thing."

"You're not going to get expelled," Connie insisted, "If we explain everything."

"I thought we can't do that," Grace sighed, "If I explained why I was upset about Tori being on her phone behind the wheel."

"You did mention that she nearly hit your friend Maddie," Connie reminded her, "If you just explain that at the meeting, then I could back it up."

"How?" Grace asked.

"You're forgetting one thing," Connie explained, "I've seen teenagers admitted to hospital. We have more incidents where the reason was because they were on their phones than we ever did for accidents relating to drugs and alcohol."

"I never thought about that," Grace whispered, "I ended up looking up what the charges will be. I know I'll be locked up for what I've done."

"You won't be," Connie mentioned, "A lot of people mentioned that they have used their phones behind the wheel. But it was bad luck that you were caught out."

Connie looked up at the door frame. Iain and Lily were nowhere to be seen, but was that a good thing for Connie right now? Clearly whenever she's distracted, the two had suddenly decided to leave her alone. But Connie never knew the reasons why they wouldn't bother her during those moments.

She knew they weren't there. She watched the two going into cardiac arrests before they were declared dead by Dylan and Elle. Remembering that the real Lily Chao and Iain Dean would never have bothered her or intimidated her the way those two were doing. But it was almost as if they were trying to tell her not to lie to the police. To let Grace, face the consequences of her actions.

But what would happen to Grace if she let her do just that?

Grace had high hopes of becoming a doctor, just like her parents. They could get wiped away instantly if she hands herself in.

All her dreams, taken away from her, just like that.

What would become of her then?

Connie watched as Grace opened her drawer, taking out a textbook. Noticing how heavy it must have been, Connie was amazed to see Grace open the front cover, taking in the contents, before she passed it over to her.

"I don't deserve this," Grace whispered, "Just get rid of it. Please?"

"Grace," Connie sighed, "This shouldn't stop you from becoming a doctor."

Grace looked away from the book. Connie diverted away from Grace, before looking at the first page of the book, the inside cover of the book. When she saw the handwriting on the book however, Connie knew why Grace didn't want the book anymore.

Aim for the moon.

Even if you miss, you'll still reach the stars.

Be the doctor that you want to be.

Dr Lily Chao.

This book had every information about the human body, allowing Grace to explore each of her options for the future. Just like Lily explained to her.

"I want to be like Dr Chao."

Connie knew that Grace was doubting her future now. It was Lily who had been nothing but supportive towards Grace, explaining that there are many opportunities and options for her to explore. Lily had so much faith for Grace to succeed well into her medical career, also going as far as ensuring that not much pressure was put on her as well.

"She told me that while it was good to succeed," Grace explained, "It was also important to remember that the career was a destination. The fun part was the journey. I think that was why Iain invited me to the ambulance station. So that I could play basketball."

Connie suddenly realised that Grace and Lily were no different from each other. They both aspired to become doctors.

It soon dawned on Connie that she was no different to Li-Na Chao. They've pushed their daughters, forgetting that at the end of the day, they were still human beings. That they were kids at the end of the day. That they still needed to learn more about life than work.

That was why Lily had helped Grace.

She saw a bit of herself in her daughter.

"Grace," Connie whispered, "Lily once told me, that whenever she loses a patient, she works hard to improve herself. To become a better doctor. It was her way of honoring them."

"Why are you telling me this?" Grace asked her.

"Because I remember you once mentioning to me that you wanted to be like her," Connie reminded her, "Use this as a way of honoring her and Iain. I want you to become an amazing doctor, but I also want you to remember to enjoy your life."

"How can I enjoy it?" Grace stuttered, "Knowing what I've done to them?"

"You won't be able to now," Connie explained, stroking her hair, "But I realised that I've pushed you too much. That's going to change, starting now. Whatever the outcome of this morning, I'll be by your side."

"Mum," Grace sobbed, as she allowed her mother to pull her into her arms.

"You don't have to say anything," Connie explained, "Try and get some rest okay? Whatever the outcome tomorrow, I will support you."

Grace nodded before breaking away from the hug, settling back into bed as she watched her mother pick herself up from her bed. Watching her mother walk over to the door, she suddenly realised that she also lost someone close to her.

"Mum," Grace whispered, "Once again, I'm sorry for what had happened."

Connie looked at her, smiling, "Grace, you will forever be my daughter. I will always look out for you, no matter what happens."

Grace smiled back, as her mother quietly closed the door. She knew that she will forever be haunted by her actions, but she also knew that her mother still loves her. Will she ever be able to move past what has happened, a part of her hoped not. It may have been too late to make up for her mistake, but she knew that she owed a lot to Lily and Iain to honour their memories. Hopefully, she will do one thing, that will truly make her mother proud.

But maybe for Grace, the only person whose approval she needed now, was her own.

Connie stood on the other side of the door. Turning to the sitting room, she noticed that Iain and Lily were both sitting on the sofa. She wanted to scream at the two, tell them to get lost, to leave her and Grace alone. But now she couldn't.

They helped Grace realise that she can aspire to achieve her ambitions, but still allowed her to enjoy the fun of growing up. Connie remembered that Iain's childhood, like Lily's, also involved him having to grow up quickly. Only he had to move away from schoolwork to ensure that he was distracted from the reality of having to take care of his mother. A lack of balance.

Just like Lily's.

But he had too much freedom, when she didn't have any.

It dawned on Connie that was why they wanted to encourage Grace to have her education, they also wanted her to carry on being a kid.

Connie suddenly remembered that it was Lily and Iain who told her to let Grace take up driving lessons.

"Hey," Connie whispered to the two, as they turned around.

"You've done well to relax her," Lily smiled at her.

"You did," Iain mentioned sadly.

"I knew tonight would be hard," Connie sighed, "But I promise you both now, I will do whatever it takes to set things right. Although, I know you two will disagree with how I'm doing it."

Lily looked sadly onto the ground, "I don't know if I would have been cut out to be a mother. I was scared I would put too much pressure on my child."

"I was scared that I would give them too much freedom," Iain shamefully admitted, "I didn't want my child to run away like I did."

"That wouldn't happen," Connie reassured the two, "You two were much better parents to Grace than I ever could have been. You've both showed her that while it was important to keep up with her education, it was also important to remember that she was still growing up. You two gave her the one thing I never could have given her. The perfect balance. You two would have made amazing parents."

Iain and Lily looked at each other sadly.

This was the quietest the two of them had been for a long while.

It almost made Connie slightly nervous.

"Your child," Connie sighed, closing her eyes, "He or she would have been so lucky. They had you two for parents."

As soon as Connie opened her eyes however…

…they were both gone.